March 8, 2022
Lyra Phase 2-49
Tuesday
Continuing the patching of the old transducer locations, I began by masking over the openings from inside, then, outside, filling the round holes through the hull with a thickened and strengthened epoxy mixture. While I gave that a bit of time to set up enough to continue, I cut rounds of fiberglass to create the patches: Two outside, one inside. Later in the morning, once the epoxy plugs had set up sufficiently, I wet out and installed the fiberglass on both sides to complete the main part of the repairs.
Next, I installed the new vinyl for the name, hailport, and registration numbers. The owner selected a gold leaf vinyl with white outline for the name and port, and white vinyl for the state numbers.
I was waiting for delivery of the correct screws to secure the sea hood, but in the meantime I finished up the dry fit and preparations, first by redrilling from below the two screw holes I’d used all along for alignment. For the remaining fastener locations, I could just drill through the center of the epoxy-filled plugs at each location from above, before temporarily installing the sea hood with the pair of aftermost screws. Then, I drilled up into the wooden sides from below, just enough to make a mark as I wanted to be sure the holes were centered or otherwise properly placed.
Removing the sea hood again, I finished drilling the pilot holes in the wood, and took a moment to drive a screw in and out of each hole to prepare fore the final installation and ensure I had no troubles installing the screws from beneath. Later in the afternoon, once my screws arrived (#10 x 1-3/4″ flat head tapping screws), I installed the sea hood in a bed of brown sealant, keeping the sealant away from the drain openings. I cleaned up the excess sealant, then installed the dodger frame and mounting bases in their pre-marked holes leftover from the initial fitting in December.
Final dodger work lay soon ahead.
Total time billed on this job today: 4 hours
0600 Weather Observation: 35°, clear and windy. Forecast for the day: Sunny, 36°